We have a bit of an aberration today in our regularly scheduled design-design-design! programming. But it this will all start to make sense, I promise.

And, please, if you like Schmatta, think about upgrading to a paid membership. I put a lot of time and thought into this content and I’m a real human trying to make the whole Substack thing work. Also: If you decide to become a founding member, I will help you design a room and/or create a personalized shopping list if you are in the market for a couch, table, whatever!

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Margaret Wise Brown. You know her books. Goodnight Moon. Runaway Bunny. The more I read these books to my 4-year-old, the more I feel like I’m losing my grip on reality.

Because contained within a series of four books — The Runaway Bunny (1942), Goodnight Moon (1947), My World (1949), and Good Day, Good Night (published posthumously in 2017) — are overlapping multiverses and patterns that make you seriously consider the viability of the Simulation Hypothesis.

But only if you look very, very closely.

We must, of course, give credit to Brown’s illustrator, Clement Hurd, for his work in crafting the environments of the first three books; and Loren Long for picking up Hurd’s work in Good Day, Good Night.

The decor world has long adored the Goodnight Moon bedroom with its generous striped drapery, Rococo mantel clock, and curious animal skin rug. But something sinister is lurking in this room. It should be a warning to us all.

Let’s start with the first book, The Runaway Bunny. First off, Runaway Bunny (henceforth referred to as RB) is a terrible child. All he wants is to get away from his mother bunny (MB), who is always one step ahead of RB. It’s 1942. It’s, uh, a weird time, to say the least. Americans are shipping off their sons to fight a deadly war in Europe.

First thing to pay attention to in The Runaway Bunny is the full-color image of MB baiting RB with a carrot in a stream. Remember this. It will become very important.

Second important spread in The Runaway Bunny is this fireside scene close to the end. Note that RB is now wearing blue striped pajamas, akin to Goodnight Moon. And I don’t know what we do with this information…but remember it’s 1942. Blue-and-white stripes are being used elsewhere across the Atlantic in the most diabolical of circumstances. But let’s look closer at this tableau. The furniture is similar to that of the nursery in Goodnight Moon, but more importantly, there is a full-color painting of a “cow jumping over the moon”:

Let’s now thumb over to Goodnight Moon. And I’d like to point out that the curtains on the cover are orange and red NOT yellow and green. What kind of trickery is this? Anyhow…

The first overlap we can detect is that RB and MB are now recurring characters, although in Goodnight Moon, there is no established familial relationship. MB is just an “old lady” (rude).

We are immediately re-introduced to the cow-jumping-over-the-moon painting.

We’re also going to take a look at the clock on the mantel — the time is going to advance as the book goes on. When we start the book, it’s 7 p.m.

And we finish at nearly 8 p.m.

Also, I’m sure, if you have read this book billions of times like I have, you’ll notice that the little mouse moves around the room in every illustration. Plotting something, clearly.

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Now let’s inspect that three little bears painting. Because within that painting, on the wall, is a duplicate of the cow-jumping-over-the-moon painting.

This is the point at which the sign has become untethered from reality. The cow-jumping-over-the-moon image is no longer depicting an event. It is depicting a depiction of an event. At this point, Baudrillard is having a field day.

Now, the dollhouse.

Which is clearly…where the three little bears live, because aren’t those the same curtains?? This is all becoming very “THE CALL IS COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE!”

This can be referred to as a “recursive sign system.” I refer to it as a dollhouse operating a shadow government.

But we also need to examine the bookshelf, because on it, in very teeny tiny writing, on one of the books, we can make out the title, The Runaway Bunny.

It’s fully weird at this point because now we have to consider the possibility that The Runaway Bunny ceases to be a story and becomes an artifact within its own universe.

And when we zoom out further, above the bookcase is a black-and-white painting of MB trying to bait RB in the stream.

Okay. But the true, rule-bending mindfuck comes when we can more clearly discern what is on the little bunny’s nightstand. It’s A COPY. OF. GOODNIGHT. MOON.

This is now full-on psychological warfare!!! We’ve been Black Mirrored. If the bunny in Goodnight Moon is reading Goodnight Moon, is there another bunny inside that copy reading another copy of Goodnight Moon? It’s a hall of infinite mirrors.

After some ujjayi breathing to calm us down, we can continue on to My World.

It’s 1949 and the war is over, thank Jesus. And all of a sudden MB and RB have a father figure in the picture — perhaps he’s returned unscathed (physically, yet not emotionally amirite?) from the war?

For the most part we have some super nuclear family stuff going on in this volume. MB, previously a badass mountaineer/shapeshifter/tightrope walker/the fucking “wind” as portrayed in The Runaway Bunny…

Is now relegated to the realm of women’s domestic work, multitasking between making breakfast, feeding multiple animals, and presumably moderating the behavior of both her son and husband.

Everything’s going pretty well until bam bam bam!! What the fuck is that?? It’s dinner with the in-laws and in that dining room is…a framed image of MB wrangling her motherfucking son in that G-D river that she did seven years earlier.

Are we beginning to suspect that this image is MB’s silent rebellion? An attempt to remind the patriarchy: DO YOU NOT SEE WHAT I HAVE BEEN THROUGH?

We will never escape this image. It simply persists.

We can all finally recover from our collective heart attacks in Good Day, Good Night, where things at least feel like a more quiet, logical progression.

The bakery — or the Bunbunnyrie — takes inspiration from Goodnight Moon’s green-and-gold curtains.

As does the bunny’s bedding:

Thankfully, there are no ominous paintings following us around. Just these “cow jumping over the moon” bookends.

Thank the lord.

Now, Goodnight, Substack people.

Goodnight, .

And Goodnight, .

Goodnight restacks everywhere.

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If you have a Crosley turntable, this guide isn’t for you.

If your record collection can be contained in a “cube,” this guide isn’t for.

If your husband is a massive audiophile who has “only” 3,000 records taking up every inch of your living room, all contained within multiple hideous IKEA Kallax units, THIS GUIDE IS FOR YOU.

Every time I complain about the abundance of records occupying opportune floor space in our rather small bungalow home, my husband, Drew, counters, “But records look nice! You don’t think they look nice?”

Yes. They look nice! I’m not saying they don’t! God! I just wish we had the budget to store them in something other than shelves that look like plastic ice cube trays.

The best, nicest-looking vinyl storage is…getting a designer to fabricate something custom for you.

Okay, so none of us are going to to that. Problem is, there isn’t a ton of vinyl-specific storage furniture out there — and the ones that are are like, it’s cool man, we all live a Nashville barn or like, it’s called mid-century mod, I’m a straight man with a woodshop.

But you can use normal shelving if:

• The depth and height (or the measurement of space from shelf to shelf) is at least 13 inches.

• The shelves are sturdy enough to support a lot of weight. Vinyl is so fucking heavy.

So here are some options…

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Upgrade to $$ pls for the love of god

#1: In Common With’s new Murano collection has truly captured my heart. Any of you rich-o’s want to buy this chandelier for me?

#2: French-Vietnamese designer Quentin Vuong’s club chair with mother-of-pearl inlay is a masterpiece.

#3: Incredible Etsy find (pricey, but incredible): vintage teak mirror designed by Jacob Hermann for Randers of Denmark:

#4: I, moi, Leonora, made a video about Polly Pocket and small space design:

#5: Howell (aka Night Palm) x Harrier for Crate&Barrel is glam in a great way.

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I used to adamantly believe that one could never trust a person in possession of a black toilet. After my experience in Milan, I might be changing my tune seeing as black toilets are everywhere there. Thus, black toilets + European city known for superior design must = some form of redemption.

Thanks to a postpartum bladder that is still very much postpartumy some four years on, I had the opportunity to experience many different toilets, toilet papers, and of course, bidets across Milan.

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Day 3

In the morning, a group of us headed out to Fondazione Prada. It was an optional activity, but I figured it would be good to spend some of my time in Milan doing something I might otherwise do as a no…

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Hello folks,

As many of you know, I just returned from Salone del Mobile, Milan’s annual, v. v. important design festival. You can catch up with my adventure by reading about my packing list, and my first installment about my experience as a first-timer. Today, I’ll give you a …

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Hello Schmattaworld!

Greetings from bed where I’ve been put out by a god-awful stomach bug. I’m on the mend and thankful it happened before Saturday, which is when I depart for Salone del Mobile aka the biggest design festival of the year. FYI, likely no letter next week as I’ll be in the thick of it, but you can count on a rundown of my experience the following week. I’ve never been to Salone, so I’ll be telling the tale as an outsider. You can read about my previous adventures in Design Industryland here:

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P.S.: Don’t forget that this month’s giveaway is open to all subscribers. Like and comment to enter!

Ahead, what I’m packing for my trip. Feel free to share your favorite travel things in the comments.

4 nights in Milan…lezzzgooooo!

Because I am someone who cares about what everyone else thinks of me, the first thing I realized after getting invited to Milan is that I wanted to look cool. Sorry if that’s lame, but whatever—I just want to look really, really cool!

Clothes & Accessories:

I acquired a bunch of new stuff from my favorite “cool mom” label, Roucha. Many many thanks to my pal, Jill Wenger, for straight up sending me a care package from heaven. I genuinely recommend Roucha for some very specific reasons—many of the jeans feature adjustable drawstrings, and are made of the softest denim I’ve ever felt; the pieces have an architectural edge without feeling too austere; and Roucha also has a points system to get free stuff! Here’s my haul:

• The Oko coat, a voluminous trench that I accessorized with the Postmodern pin. And it really is all about the pin.

  

• For pants, I got two pairs of jeans: Duchamp Stud Denim and Dessau Vintage Denim.

• The Sota shirt, an oversized short sleeve button up.

• The Toyen shirt, which I plan to wear as a light jacket option.

• The Keaton sweater, which can be worn buttoned up, or open over a tank top.

• The Gauguin sunglasses because obviously.

For bags:

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Welcome, welcome!

It’s time for another round of Good Schmutz, my monthly-ish column of design happenings, new releases, ones to watch, and just cool stuff I’m loving. If you want to get caught up on our previous edition, I’ve temporarily removed the paywall:

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Otherwise, onto what’s NEWNEWNEW:

#1: I gotta say—there aren’t many pretty trash cans on the market. Kudos to Caraway Home for this new trash and recycling duo.

#2: I’m appreciating the tile work in designer Nina Freudenberger’s latest kitchen.

#3: I bookmarked this ADU of a home that was recently on the market in El Sereno (East L.A.) because this is actually such a genius way to add more space to a small structure: place it partially below ground. (See IG for more pics.)

#4: My favorite cleaning brand, Koala Eco, sent me their new rosalina and peppermint hand soap and body lotion. I love that the soap makes your hands feel really, really clean. As always, my top rec if you are new to Koala Eco is the Best Seller Collection, currently on sale.

#5: Unhinged Airbnb.

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Welcome to April. I’ve been keeping an eye out for some good April Fool’s design jokes. So far, the winner is this “toilet cover” by Piglet in Bed:

But what is NOT an April Fool’s joke is this month’s giveaway for Schmatta subscribers: A copy of A Field Guide to American Houses by Virginia McAlester. More importantly, it’s truly not a joke when people refer to McAlester as “The Queen of Historic Preservation.” She spent her life advocating for the landmarking and preservation of homes and neighborhoods across Dallas.

While Schmatta giveaways are usually for paid subscribers only, this month is open to all subscribers because this book means so much to me and it’s something I want everyone to have a chance to win. (More details on entry at the end of this post.)

The Field Guide, originally published in 1984 and updated and revised in 2013, has long been considered an architectural bible for both professionals and enthusiasts. It begins over 400 years ago, detailing construction techniques of Native Americans and covering every major American domestic architectural style up to the McMansion (which she calls the “Millennial Mansion”).

My copy of this tome is well-worn: pages marked with notes in different colored inks, dog-eared, and ripped in places. I use it frequently for work (when writing about architecture and I’m unsure of a style or name of a specific architectural feature) and for pleasure (each chapter is like a fascinating mini history lesson).

I’m proud to say that I knew Virginia (she passed in 2020). My friend Amy Talkington is Virginia’s daughter, and for a time, we were all linked as family when my sister was married to Amy’s step-brother (it’s complicated but all you need to know is that we have a lot of love for each other). I spent Christmases at Virginia’s amazing mission-style home on Swiss Avenue in Dallas and we shared many family dinners together here in L.A. She was classy, kind, supremely intelligent, and the kind of older woman I looked at with respect and reverence. I only wish I had developed my interest in design and architecture before her death; I have so many questions now I’d love to ask her.

Virginia’s work lives on through one of my all-time favorite Instagram accounts, @afieldguidetoamericanhouses, where you can get a flavor of the book through posts that feature passages and illustrations. Trust me, it’s very educational!

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To enter to win your copy of A Field Guide to American Houses, you must:

• Be a Schmatta subscriber. If you’re not, sign up here.

• LIKE and COMMENT on this post.

• Follow @afieldguidetoamericanhouses on IG.

Best of luck to you all!

We have a slightly unconventional newsletter this week (and yes, late—my apologies). The past few weeks have been a particular cocktail of anticipation and low-grade chaos: waiting on answers alongside some health issues that have been…persistent. More on both in a moment, but I thought I’d take this time to talk a bit about where where my brain is at these days.

We returned back to our Pasadena home on January 1st. It was a breath of fresh air after 4+ months in NYC. “You seem like a different person,” a friend who doesn’t even know me that well texted me after just two IG Story posts from my front porch. (If you’re new here, in a nutshell, we rented our house and moved in with my parents in NYC following a series of unfortunate career blows and financial uncertainty. We’re back now, trying to “make it work” but, um, basically living off savings.)

26% off subscription sale!

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Is it just me, or perhaps you’ve noticed decor becoming increasingly…theatrical?This has manifested in wink-and-nod products bordering on satire. I’m thinking about Seletti’s giant Bic pen light or fashion-mimicking items like Oeuvre Sensibles’ Clothing Curtains, which were just mentioned in a NYT article about designers making home items to resemble cl…

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This month, one lucky paid Schmatta reader will receive 4 sets of Lazy Jamie flatware…

…as well as a Lazy Jamie cheese knife set.

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Take it from me: I have the cutlery and I love it. Compliments galore from every guest who eats in our home. (If you want to skip the whole giveaway thing and buy some now, you can use code LEONORA15 at checkout for 15% off.)

You’ve definitely heard me talk about Lazy Jamie before, in fact I included the brand’s TV tray in my “Best in Design 2025” awards.

This tray has a bunch of features that make it award-worthy: the base can slide under your couch and the tray is removable/portable. It doesn’t just need to be for TV-eating, either. It fits a laptop perfectly, so all you small space dwellers now have a new WFH option.

To enter to win the flatware and cheese knife set, you must be a paid Schmatta subscriber. To upgrade your subscription, click below:

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Once you’ve signed up for paid, you’ll be automatically entered to win for this giveaway—and every one of our monthly giveaways. Best of luck to you!

Again, if there’s something at Lazy Jamie you’ve had your eye on, feel free to use my code LEONORA15 to get 15% off your purchase.

Today, we’re talking with my friend Robert Khederian about our love for old houses. Robert’s the author of one of my top three favorite Substacks, Second Story, which covers historic NYC real estate and antiques, among other things. He and I share an obsession with history and “old fashioned-ness.” In the comments, we’d love to hear about your own old h…

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Gustaf Westman, patron saint of Gen Z design, has a knack for capturing the moment. To wit: The Swede just created a curling-inspired bowl and drink stand right in the middle of the Olympic winter games. (No word yet on if he’s selling these, or if it’s just a fun concept.)

It made me wonder if any other designers or brands in the decor or furniture spaces had created special releases for the 2026 games, and I came up with nada. Seems like a missed opportunity, right? (Unless I’m the one who is missing something.)

Luckily, there are plenty of cool relics from games of Olympics past. Some are true collectors’ items with astronomical price tags; others on the weirder or more obscure side can be had for less than $200. Here are some fantastic vintage Olympics finds—the oldest one dating back to the 1928 Games in Amsterdam.

Orrefors Sweden Olympic Torch Candle Holder Lars Hellsten 1980s

1980 Moscow Olympics Porcelain Vase

Sarajevo Winter Olympic Games 1984 Mascot Figure Candlestick

David Hockney, 1984 XIV Olympic Winter Games “The Skater” Vintage Poster

1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games Bottle

Original Brutalist Olympic Games 1972 Munich Candleholder

Pair of 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics Glasses

1980 Moscow Olympics Vintage Night Light

Berlin 1936 Table Lamp With Olympics Logo

1984 Lillehammer Coffee Set by Porsgrund

Barcelona Olympic Games 1992 Hand-Blown Glasses by Gordiola

Vintage Fondue Pot With Olympic Rings

1928 Olympics Hand Painted Plate with Chiron as Archer by Sphinx

1972 Munich Olympic Games Poster by Josef Albers

Vintage 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics Salt Pepper Shaker Set

1992 Olympics Rocks Glasses by Halston

1980 Moscow Summer Olympics Souvenir

J.A. Henckels Bottle Opener for Munich 1972 Games

In today’s Good Schmutz: A rug-couch, news about Areaware, Roman Coppola’s house, wondrous lighting discoveries, Seletti’s viral pen light, two buzzy soaps to try, IKEA sofa covers by a cool L.A. designer, and more.

#1: The end of an era. Areaware, a brand that defined a meaningful portion of millennial design, is closing. Areaware’s imaginative decor and diverse roster of designers and artists will be sorely missed. The brand’s influence can’t be overstated—you’ve almost certainly encountered its work, if not the knockoffs it inspired.

#2: Here’s a first in multi-purpose furniture: Sabine Marcelis’s Roll, a rug and sofa in one. (Or is it anti-purpose furniture?) Either way, kudos to Sabine for consistently delivering great design surprises. No doubt in my mind one of these will end up in a SKIMS ad.

#3: Heavenly lighting alert: The Giza Suspension II by Studio Ebur. Did you peep those pearls dangling from the corners? There are so many design references elegantly packaged into this piece. Which I can’t afford.

#4: Thirstcross Grange: Try this Wuthering Heights Airbnb in the U.K. for your V-Day escapade.

#5: I’ve always been a bit skeptical of Bemz, the company known for making covers for IKEA sofas. I just can’t be convinced an IKEA sofa is any good, even when dressed up. But I’ll be eager to see what their Francesca Grace collab will look like. Grace, an L.A.-based home stager and furniture designer, has seen a huge crescendo in her career and I do really like what she does with stripes.

#6: Gufram x Luna Luna x Keith Haring. Fun, if impractical.

#7: Cassarohome is one of the most unhinged kids’ furniture companies out there—in the best way. The prices are bonkers, but the goods make me giggle with a sort of ironic delight. $5,000 velvet linen kids’ sofas. $1,000 silk canopies. Newest to the collection: Louis XVI-inspired chairs for littles. Because every child needs a throne.

#8: My Spidey-sense is telling me to be on the lookout this year for faux bois. It’s been popping up here and there in the tours I write for AD, and then I spied these plates by Este Ceramiche.

#9: I enjoyed John Ota’s 2020 book The Kitchen in which he traveled across the country, visiting famous kitchens, starting with one in Plymouth, Massachusetts. He’s now written a sequel, The Dining Room, coming out March 17. It comes at an interesting time, when we’ve been debating whether or not the dining room is dead.

#10: It’s become impossible to escape Ash, the hotel group which also makes furniture, home decor, and bathing goods. Ash’s PR team sent me their soap on a rope, and I love its spicy, amber-y scent. I feel that the return of bar soap is upon us.

#11: Sorry—this newsletter is going heavy on luxury spends. But there’s a point to it all, right? We’re winning the Powerball this week and we need to be prepared. So put this on your to-buy list: Saved NY’s cashmere blankets, which start at $1,750 EACH. These read more like tapestries—many need to spread out to get the full picture. Hard to pick a favorite, but I do enjoy the “Binding” blanket, below.

#12: Roman Coppola’s L.A. home is on the market. It’s my dream house. And I shall soon be the owner, after winning the Powerball.

#13: The decorwebs have been pleased as punch about the Seletti light made in the likeness of a Bic pen. Reminds me of a giant Swatch circa 1982. People are actually buying these as the stock appears to be sold out everywhere. Now I’d like to see how people are styling them in their homes.

#14: I love the simplicity of Astrid Houssin’s Nautilus mirror, featuring a black lacquered frame with spiral details that give just a soupçon of Art Nouveau. You can also order a matching shelf. Houssin doesn’t list prices, so I’m going to assume the mirror and shelf combo is about the cost of my mortgage.

#15: East Fork has come out with hand soap! I have Tender Earth, which is earthy, a little flowery…TL;DR it smells fancy.

#16: Ilia Beauty x Eny Lee Parker. First of all, I adore Eny Lee Parker. The rugs! The lighting! It’s ::chef’s kiss::. This lip gloss holder is begging for a vanity moment.

Howdy!

Welcome to the home stretch of winter. For all you east coasters, hang in there!

I’m pleased to announce our February giveaway for paid Schmatta subscribers is…the Loftie Lamp. I say this with 1000% honesty: I love my Loftie lamp. It’s definite…

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Great interiors are much like the human diet — they require balance. That said, most Americans follow a regimen that suits their tastes and lifestyles. Maybe you’re a maximalist who can’t help but indulge. Or perhaps you prefer decor with the eclecticism of a Cava bowl.

Either way, trends inevitably emerge as goalposts for a healthy (home) diet. When we…

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I’ve been writing about design for over 8 years now. This started when my career brought me to lead editorial for Hunker, a shelter publication I co-founded under the umbrella of a larger media company. There’s a reason I’m not linking to Hunker; it was sold a few years ago and now represents everything that is wrong with the internet. But, back in the day, we were competing alongside your Dominos and Apartment Therapies, etc.

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